BUS301: Human Resource Management

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Unit 2: Strategic Human Resource Planning and Staffing

Now that we have discussed the core components of HR strategy, let's explore how to identify human capital by assessing and defining all of the jobs within an organization. Recognizing the best people to hire can be difficult. Job descriptions often do a poor job of detailing the employment environment. By conducting a proper job analysis of all of the roles within a firm, hiring managers can best identify the abilities future employees should possess for specific jobs. The keys to success often depend on your ability to learn on the job, correct mistakes, and manage a stressful situation, rather than your knowledge of a particular computer program. In this unit, we explore how to translate the demands of a job into an accurate job description.

This chapter will be important for Unit 2 and Unit 3, as it discusses job analysis, job description, relevant recruitment laws, and strategies for effective recruitments in depth. Make the connection between what you learned about critical HRM planning in the previous unit and its impact on the HRM recruitment, which is the focus of this unit. Pay particular attention to Figure 4.1., which describes the job analysis process. Take note of how a company's culture can be used as a recruiting tool to attract candidates.

Read this article, which discusses knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) and discusses the qualifications and attributes a job candidate will need to perform for a particular position. This authors focus on obtaining a job in the U.S. federal government, but you can apply their insight to identify and apply KSAs to any position opening.

This article discusses the Dunning-Kruger Effect, noting that poor performers most often fail to learn from their mistakes. This inability to self-critique and self-correct poses obstacles for HR. While HR can provide feedback channels for employees to learn from, employees must also possess the skills needed to identify and remedy weaknesses in their own performance. Make the connection between these obstacles and the important task of HR to properly assess knowledge, skills, and abilities to find valuable human resources.

Briefly revisit section 4.1 of this chapter, which you read at the outset of this unit. Pay particular attention to the sample job analysis questionnaires in Figure 4.2 and the sample job description in Figure 4.3. Complete the exercises at the end of this section, and be sure to spend sufficient time on the second question. By the end of this activity, you should be able to list the four components of a job description and give tips for writing an effective job description.